An interview from Al Jazeera English in which a Tehran University academic declares that the executions of Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani and Arash Rahmanipour were absolutely justified and then says, "I don't know very much about this case." Indeed, the academic says that one of the two was a member of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MKO); all Iranian officials, including the Tehran Prosecutor General, have claimed that both were "monarchists".

(Note near the end of the interview the declaration by the academic that the father of one of the Kahrizak prisoners who died spoke to him and "is very satisfied with the way things have been conducted". That "father", Abdulhossein Ruholamini, launched a scatching attack on the Government's conduct last week.)

Reader Comments (32)

After being outed by Fareed Zakaria as a regime mouthpiece, I think journalistic ethics demands that if news outlets are to accept Marandi onto their shows they should demand that an opposition representative be allowed on also as a counterpoint. Marandi lies, lies, and lies and international media know it, and yet he is still given unrefuted air time constantly. It is disgraceful.

ScottIn Iran, everybody is called 'doctor" or "mahandess" ( engineer ) and if you were in government or close to somebody well placed, you could easily obtained your diploma and qualification; an " academic " could not speak like him ! it's insulting for the truth ones ! shame on him ( little thug !)

...Also, we have to all remember that we're talking about the same guy that accused Fareed Zakaria of calling him "the Mouth of Sauron". I mean come on, how can he be taken seriously when he pulls that kind of BS out in the middle of the a CNN interview.

Every sane human being on this planet knows that the women who fight in Iran for their freedom as individuals and for civil liberties are not going to demand to be legally entitled to oppress men for the next 30 years and to have a constitutional right granting them to classify every male Iranian as a second class human being.

Okay, Marandi fought in the war and he was injured. Granted.

And that fact legitimizes his advocacy of the Islamic "Republic"? Because he fought in the war and got injured it is now his duty to ensure the Islamic "Republic" continues to be the political status quo of Iran? It is actually completely irrelevant to say "I have fought in the war and I got badly injured" in the context of people willing to die for their and others' freedom and in the hope of getting the chance to establish civil liberties. Any average nationalist can make the claim of having defended Iran against Iraq. But apparently following Marandi's twisted logic, every Iranian who fought in the war was at the same time a religious warrior in defense of the Iranian revolution and not merely an Iranian defending the sovereignty of Iran. Sure, if you think like Marandi every real Iranian is an Iranian in defense of the Islamic Republic and not. He does not need to prove anything, because his credibility lies in the fact that he served as a soldier during the Iran-Iraq war. As if every fellow combatant of Marandi risked his life to save the Islamic "Republic"! As if there have not been any Iranian soldiers who despised the Islamic "Republic", but were still willing to put their lives at risk against Saddam Hussein! Even a child would understand the imperative of a monarchist soldier fighting against Iraq.

How low do you have to sink in order to be able to think that one can argue with people, have an interview with people or let alone reason with people who view the Welayat-e Faqih as a legitimate form of government by citizens for citizens. It is even contradictory to use the word citizen, because the notion of citizenship basically does not apply to the Welayat-e Faqih. How can someone call themselve an adult and yet demand dialogue with people who do not recognize the fundamental necessity of civil rights, which every citizen should be granted. Being guarded by a number of religious scholars who base their laws on scripture, which is claimed to be the word and will of the creator of space and time, does not make anyone mature, but leaves everyone in a state of childhood. A childhood no one deserves.

Every sane human being on this planet knows that the women who fight in Iran for their freedom as individuals and for civil liberties are not going to demand to be legally entitled to oppress men for the next 30 years and to have a constitutional right granting them to classify every male Iranian as a second class human being.

Okay, Marandi fought in the war and he was injured. Granted.

And that fact legitimizes his advocacy of the Islamic “Republic”? Because he fought in the war and got injured it is now his duty to ensure the Islamic “Republic” continues to be the political status quo of Iran? It is actually completely irrelevant to say “I have fought in the war and I got badly injured” in the context of people willing to die for their and others’ freedom and in the hope of getting the chance to establish civil liberties. Any average nationalist can make the claim of having defended Iran against Iraq. But apparently following Marandi’s twisted logic, every Iranian who fought in the war was at the same time a religious warrior in defense of the "revolution" and not merely an Iranian defending the sovereignty of Iran. Sure, if you think like Marandi every real Iranian is an Iranian in defense of the Islamic Republic. He does not need to prove anything, because his credibility lies in the fact that he served as a soldier during the Iran-Iraq war. As if every fellow combatant of Marandi risked his life to save the Islamic “Republic”! As if there have not been any Iranian soldiers who despised the Islamic “Republic”, but were still willing to put their lives at risk against Saddam Hussein! Even a child would understand the imperative of a monarchist soldier fighting against Iraq.

How low do you have to sink in order to be able to think that one can argue with people, have an interview with people or let alone reason with people who view the Welayat-e Faqih as a legitimate form of government by citizens for citizens? It is even contradictory to use the word citizen, because the notion of citizenship basically does not apply to the Welayat-e Faqih. How can someone call themselve an adult and yet demand dialogue with people who do not recognize the fundamental necessity of civil rights, which every citizen should be granted? Being guarded by a number of religious scholars who base their laws on scripture, which is claimed to be the word and will of the creator of space and time, does not make anyone mature, but leaves everyone in a state of childhood. A childhood no one deserves.